ca: 7’
2009
This piece is a study in contrasts, the most significant of which being the movement between states of near frantic activity and almost total stasis. The violin is an instrument particularly well suited to this because of its ability to produce beautiful melodies in addition to indefinite sustain. This contrast is heightened by another peculiarity of the instrument: open vs. closed strings. The timbral difference between these two methods of playing informs much of the structure of this work. Whereas closed strings tend to be melodic and motivic in the work, open tend to be cadential and textural. This is particularly evident at the start of the piece wherein the violinist “pries open” the A string by producing microtonal variations on the G string. Eventually, this textural idea leads to a motivic one: the “prying-open” of a symmetrical wedge-shape around the pitch A. This process then works its way across the entire range of the instrument while constantly oscillating between movement and stasis. Harmonics enter relatively late in the piece as a sort of merging point of these two distinct identities. As the harmonics fade into the ether, the piece is brought to a violent conclusion.
This piece was premiered by Emily Rolka on November 8, 2009 in Iowa City.
Click here to view the score.
A live recording can be heard here.